Rubber heel.



unir seTf fanart no.Y

GILBERT s. iiniirnoarn, orion'rcneo, ILLINOIS.

nutten HEEL.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dan.. 11916.

Application filed April 13, 1917. Serial No. 161,794.

To all whom t may concern:

vBe it known that I, GILBERT S'. ELLI- THORPE, a citizen of the UnitedStates residingat Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois,have invented newand useful Improvements in Rubber Heels, of

' which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to cushion heels for boots and shoes; andit has for one yof its objects to provide an air-cushion heel Which byvirtue of its construction is possessed of a high degree of resiliencyin pro-4 portion to its size.

*same are read in connection with the draw ings, aceompa' ying andforming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section showing a heel constructed in, accordanceWith my inl vention as applied.

Fig.2 is an inverted plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a View similar toFig. 1 of a modiication. I

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a metallic or an:alo-.

gous plate embraced in said modification.

Y1 is my novel heel which is formed of vulcanized rubber or theequivalent thereof, and 2 is a layer of the same material that is'inter7posed between the shoe portion and the heel.

In the heel 1 is provided a chamber 7 that is open at'its upper side,and also formed in the heel and surrounding and following the contour ofsaid chamber is a recess 4 which is open to the underside of the heeland is closed to the upper side thereof.

In the inner portion of the recess 4 is arranged a metallic plate 5which is shown as continuous though it may be made in sections arrangedend to end in the discretion of the manufacturer. I Would` also have itunderstood that I do not restrict myself to makin the plate 5 of metalinasmuch as the said plate may. be made of other rigid material Withoutdeparture from my invention as claimed.

The plate 5 is apertured as shown, and in the said aperturesare`disposed the headed nails or pegs 6 through the medium of which theheel l and the layer 2 are connected with the shoe portion 3.

I would further have it understood that my invention is not restrictedto the employment ofthe layer 2, and that the improved heel mayobviously be successfully used when the said layer 2 is entirelyomitted. and the opposition of the marginal portion of the heel 1 to theshoe portion 3 is de pended on to confine air in the `char'nber 7.

f, An important feature of my invention is the recess 4 following thecontour of t e chamber 7. By virtue of said recess it will be manifestthat free compression and expansion of the air chamber f7 is affordedwithout compression and expansion .of the rubber thickness of theheel 1. rIhis obviously increases the elasticity of the heel, andV atthe same time renders the same light in' surface to maintain 'the sameuniformly in contact with the heel, and incidentally, when the chamber 7is employed7 the air chamber is preserved comparatively airtight.

The heel 1 shown in Fig. 3 is provided with an air-chamber 7 and arecess et similar to the corresponding features ofthe heel in Figs. 1and 2, and said heel of Fig. 3 is also equipped with a plate somewhatsimi-V lar to the plate 5 described though differently arranged. It willalso be noted that the heel 1 of Fi 3 is provided with apertures 9 thatexten to the upper side of the heel 1 and are in communication with therecess 4. The said apertures 9 serve for vtot consequently when the heelis forcibly pressed over the clips l and against the shoe portion, theplate will ride overthe free ends of the clips and will assume aposition abovethe outwardly-directed ends of the clips whereupon theheel will be safely and strongly attached to the shoe portion.A Thisconstruction is possessed of all the advantages ascribed to theconstruction of Fig. 1, and is further advantageous because it rendersit feasible to effect the connection of the heel in a removable manner.

When, deemed expedient I may employ a rigid plate l5 in the headvportion of the heel 1 to stiii'en said portion while permitting relativecompression of the air chamber when any part of the tread is compressed.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure |byLetters-Patent, is:

v L A `heel of elastic material having1 a chamber inits side that isopposed to a s oe portion and also having a recess in its opposite sidethat surrounds and follows the contour of the said chamber, and a rigidlate arranged 1n the innermost portion o the said recess and alsoarranged and con- 'structed for coperation with heel attach 'lng meansto hold the heel firmly in contact throughout its opposed surface with-ashoe portion.

2. A heel of elastic material having a con-I` tinuous recess in itsunderside, and a plate of rigid material arranged in the innermostportion of said recess and also arranged and constructed for coperationwith heel attaching means to hold the heel rmly in contactthroughout itsopposed surface with a shoe ortion.

3. heel of elastic material having a continuous recess in its underside,and a plate of rigid material provided with nail apertures, said platebeing arranged inthe inner-- most ortion of said recess.

4. heel of elastic material having a.

chamber in' its side'that is opposed to a shoe portion and also having arecess formed and arranged to allow of easycompression of the chamberedportion, and 'further having embedded in its tread portion a rigidstiii'en- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand 1n presenceof two subscriblng` wit-

